Tag: Harrison Butker

Chiefs K Harrison Butker restructures contract to free up cap space

The #Chiefs restructured Harrison Butker’s contract to free up needed cap space to make recent roster moves.

The Kansas City Chiefs had very little salary cap space entering Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.

We expected that the team might make a cost-cutting move by the way of an extension or a contract restructure. They went the route of making a deal with a player currently on the roster.

As first reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, the Chiefs have restructured Harrison Butker’s contract. They converted approximately $2.2 million of his salary into a signing bonus, which creates nearly $1.5 million in cap space for the team in 2022. This should allow them to make the recent 53-man roster and practice squad signings without risking going over the salary cap.

This is really only a quick fix for Kansas City. Despite creating nearly $1.5 million in salary cap space, they likely still have less than $1 million in space. That’s from sending Trent McDuffie to injured reserve, signing Elijah Lee and Jack Cochrane to the 53-man roster and signing Corey Coleman, Dicaprio Bootle and Matt Ammendola to the practice squad. They’re all contributing factors to the team’s salary cap total.

As for Butker, he remains under contract through the 2024 NFL season. His cap hit will be slightly bigger in each of the next two seasons.

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WATCH: Justin Reid was mic’d up when he found out he’d be Chiefs’ kicker

#Chiefs S Justin Reid was conveniently mic’d up for his performance as the team’s emergency kicker in Week 1.

The Kansas City Chiefs shared a trailer for their upcoming episode of “The Franchise” and it revealed a fun moment from the team’s Week 1 game.

Justin Reid was mic’d up for the game and he was sitting on the bench talking with Juan Thornhill when long snapper James Winchester comes over to deliver the news.

“Hey, stay ready,” Winchester said. “Kicking. Butker, he did something to his ankle.”

Harrison Butker had rolled his ankle on the Chiefs’ opening kickoff and Reid was needed as an emergency kicker for the team. It was something that seemed like a joke in preseason and training camp, but became a reality very quickly as the season got started. Reid got off the bench and went over to Dave Toub and very casually says the following:

“Hey coach, you need me to do kickoff too?”

Toub’s response:

“Yes. . . You can kick off, right?”

“Yeah,” Reid says.

He got some work in on the sidelines with Tommy Townsend beforehand, most importantly getting their post-kick handshake down.

“Aye we’ve got to get our handshake down real quick,” Townsend said.

“OK, what are we doing,” Reid responded.

That was a smart move by Townsend to keep things light and keep Reid out of his head before his first PAT attempt, which he sent sailing through the uprights. Sure enough, he could kick off as well. He sent the first one booming 80 yards through the back of the endzone. Patrick Mahomes couldn’t even focus on the sideline because he was so impressed by it.

“Damn, he’s kicking the hell out of that ball,” Mahomes said. “Bro he kicked that thing through the uprights. J. Reid is kicking and he kicked it through the uprights.”

Episode 4 of season 3 “The Franchise” will be streaming on Thursday, September 22.

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What was Chiefs S Justin Reid’s field goal range in Week 1?

Dave Toub says he trusted #Chiefs’ Justin Reid to kick a field goal in Week 1, but only at a certain distance. | from @EdEastonJr

The blowout 44-21 victory on Sunday for the Kansas City Chiefs sent a clear message to the rest of the league. Kansas City dominated all facets of the game, including special teams, during a moment where it seemed as if things would be bleak.

The Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker rolled his ankle in the first quarter after a kickoff leading him to temporarily leave the game. Safety Justin Reid, who had done some kicking during training camp and the preseason, filled in admirably. Reid stepped in to go one of two on PATs and booted several kick-offs deep into the endzone before Butker’s eventual return.

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub commented on being comfortable with the prospect of Reid attempting a field goal during the game, but only at a certain distance.

“I told (Head Coach) Andy (Reid) during the game (that) if we had to keep going with him, I thought that if we got the ball on the 25-yard line, we’d be good with him,” said Toub. “Which would be a 43-yarder or so, yeah.”

Reid, who converted a field goal from 60 yards or more during practice, would’ve needed some time to prepare for a long-range attempt properly. Toub understood the risk, but wasn’t willing to put Reid out there for the 54-yard field goal made by Butker at the end of the first half. They had a contingency plan to leave the offense on the field if Butker was unable to return to the game.

“I mean, that’s as far back as I’d want to take him,” said Toub. “That’s why there was no thought in him hitting that long one. If we didn’t have (Harrison) Butker at that time, if we didn’t think we had Butker, we probably would’ve just went for it right there. I think that was a little bit too far out of his range right there, realistically.”

Reid likely won’t get much kicking work in Week 2, with the Chiefs adding former Jets K Matt Ammendola to the practice squad. It’s good, however, to know what he’s capable of should something happen in the future.

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What was Chiefs S Justin Reid’s field goal range in Week 1?

Dave Toub says he trusted #Chiefs’ Justin Reid to kick a field goal in Week 1, but only at a certain distance. | from @EdEastonJr

The blowout 44-21 victory on Sunday for the Kansas City Chiefs sent a clear message to the rest of the league. Kansas City dominated all facets of the game, including special teams, during a moment where it seemed as if things would be bleak.

The Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker rolled his ankle in the first quarter after a kickoff leading him to temporarily leave the game. Safety Justin Reid, who had done some kicking during training camp and the preseason, filled in admirably. Reid stepped in to go one of two on PATs and booted several kick-offs deep into the endzone before Butker’s eventual return.

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub commented on being comfortable with the prospect of Reid attempting a field goal during the game, but only at a certain distance.

“I told (Head Coach) Andy (Reid) during the game (that) if we had to keep going with him, I thought that if we got the ball on the 25-yard line, we’d be good with him,” said Toub. “Which would be a 43-yarder or so, yeah.”

Reid, who converted a field goal from 60 yards or more during practice, would’ve needed some time to prepare for a long-range attempt properly. Toub understood the risk, but wasn’t willing to put Reid out there for the 54-yard field goal made by Butker at the end of the first half. They had a contingency plan to leave the offense on the field if Butker was unable to return to the game.

“I mean, that’s as far back as I’d want to take him,” said Toub. “That’s why there was no thought in him hitting that long one. If we didn’t have (Harrison) Butker at that time, if we didn’t think we had Butker, we probably would’ve just went for it right there. I think that was a little bit too far out of his range right there, realistically.”

Reid likely won’t get much kicking work in Week 2, with the Chiefs adding former Jets K Matt Ammendola to the practice squad. It’s good, however, to know what he’s capable of should something happen in the future.

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Chiefs S Justin Reid replaces K Harrison Butker after apparent ankle injury

#Chiefs K Harrison Butker was carted off the field with an ankle injury. Justin Reid is now the team’s kicker and is doing just fine.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a significant injury that they’re dealing with in the Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

After the team’s opening scoring drive, Harrison Butker slipped on the kickoff and rolled his ankle. He got up limping after the play and headed to the sideline with the training staff.

After a little time, Butker’s ankle swole up according to sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson and he was carted to the locker room. The team ruled him questionable to return to the game with a left ankle injury.

As a result, Justin Reid is now working as the team’s emergency kicker, he nailed an extra point in the preseason against the Bears.

Reid is already one-for-one on extra points in this game against the Cardinals. He also booted a kick out of the back of the endzone with a touchback.

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WATCH: Chiefs K Harrison Butker casually makes 72-yard field goal in warmups

#Chiefs K Harrison Butker was showing off his leg during pregame warmups, making a 72-yard field goal attempt.

Kansas City Chiefs K Harrison Butker was showing off his range during pregame warmups at Arrowhead Stadium ahead of the preseason Week 2 game against the Washington Commanders.

Butker told reporters earlier this week that he’d worked to improve some things on his leg swing this offseason. As a result, he believed that he’d increased his range and consistency on field goals.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Butker told reporters on Wednesday. “I feel like I’m hitting 63 yards into the wind. When the wind’s at my back, we’ve gone to 70, 72. In that Chicago game, we made 68 and 74 was a little short. But, I feel like I’ve got a lot of distance now and that will hopefully come up this season.”

Well, it seems that his estimate for his long-range kicking was right on point. Ahead of preseason Week 2, Butker hit a 72-yarder in pregame warmups. Perhaps Butker got a little jealous of all the attention that Justin Reid was receiving for his 65-yard kick at training camp and his PAT last week against the Bears. No matter what, it’s good to know that Butker’s range has increased in the right conditions. His career long is a 58-yarder, so perhaps he’ll beat that record this season.

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Chiefs K Harrison Butker ‘all for’ Justin Reid serving as emergency kicker

#Chiefs K Harrison Butker shared his thoughts on safety Justin Reid’s candidacy to become the team’s emergency kicker. | from @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs signed veteran safety Justin Reid to be the heart of a young secondary following the team’s decision to move on from Tyrann Mathieu.

They seem to have received a bit more than they bargained for in Reid. He is showing his worth at camp, serving as a leader on the defensive side of the ball and a mentor to the rookie defensive backs. He’s also taken on a new role in the recent weeks of training camp practice.

After making a 65-yard field goal in practice, Reid’s leg is now being considered for the emergency kicker role. The development comes much to the amusement of Harrison Butker, who spoke to reporters about his new backup on Wednesday.

“It’s crazy because he’s actually not very efficient, but the ball goes so far,” Butker said. “You know what I’m saying? It was probably Phase Two (and) he got a kick in the indoor, he told me, ‘I love the specialists. I kicked a lot with Ka’imi (Fairbairn) with the Texans.’ And I think I had seen some videos of him kicking, but in the indoor, he was just bombing balls with a ton of height, so I knew he had a big leg. I just thought he just wanted to kick some footballs and he just naturally has the technique. I come to find out he played travel soccer all throughout high school, so he got that rhythm and technique from a young age. But he’s got a big leg, and I think it’s just fine-tuning it.

Reid has been attempting field goals in practice throughout camp, making 7-of-9 kicks when Butker missed practice earlier this week. Reid also scored a PAT before the end of the first half in the preseason Week 1 game against the Chicago Bears. Butker believes Reid can get even better at making kicks with some help.

“If I was him, I would take advantage of Tommy (Townsend) and me and learn as much as he can from us because he made an extra point when the pressure was on in (the) preseason,” Butker continued. “I’m all for it. I’m all for evolving the game of kicking and pushing the limits, so to have more people that are enthusiastic about being kickers, I’m all for it.”

The flexibility of Reid as the emergency kicker may seem humorous at this moment, but it could eventually pay off later in the season. The Chiefs will be one of the rare teams prepared for an unexpected absence of their starter without having to roster an extra player at the position.

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Chiefs DB Justin Reid nails PAT against Bears

Chiefs DB stepped into a PAT attempt and it was good

Andy Reid allowed a player with his surname to have some fun against the Chicago Bears as the Kansas City Chiefs opened the preseason on Saturday.

Justin Watson scored a touchdown for KC in the second quarter and Harrison Butker was bumped from the PAT duties by Chiefs DB Justin Reid.

And Justin Reid delivered to make it 14-0.

Andy Reid didn’t send Justin Reid out cold. He had the DB practice on the tough Soldier Field turf prior to the game.

Chiefswire provided background on Reid’s kicking prowess:

A former Soccer player in high school and at Stanford, Reid has already been working on his emergency duties with his new team this offseason. Most safeties have emergency jobs like cornerback or linebacker, but Reid has been doing the emergency kicking duties since his time with the Houston Texans.

During practice this week, Reid connected on a field goal from 60 yards, granted there was no snap leading into the boot.

“We’ve got an excellent guy who is going to leave his mark — and his legacy — on this franchise. I know there’s a lot of chatter — or whatever — about ‘Kicker 1,’ but Harrison is obviously Kicker 1. Let’s put that to bed right now,” Justin Reid said. “But if he ever wants (a) play off — (to) take a break — I’ve got his back.”

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Rating of Ravens K Justin Tucker in Madden NFL 23 revealed

The rating for Ravens kicker Justin Tucker in Madden 23 was revealed

The ratings of players for this year’s edition of EA Sports’ “Madden NFL 23” have been trickling in over the last few days. On Monday, ratings for wide receivers and tight ends were released, and Baltimore Ravens’ tight end Mark Andrews was ranked as the No. 3 tight end with a 93 overall rating. Baltimore had another player make the video game’s top-10 list at a position and he was far ahead of the No. 10 spot.

On Wednesday, the initial ratings were revealed for kickers, and Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker took the No. 1 spot.

Tucker received a 90 overall ranking, good for the No. 1 spot at his position. Tucker being ranked as the No. 1 kicker should come at no surprise. He holds the title as the most accurate kicker in NFL history, has been selected to numerous Pro Bowls and holds the record for longest field goal made in NFL history, booting a 66-yarder against the Detroit Lions in Week 3 of the 2021 season.

Individual ratings that got Tucker up to a 90 overall included a 99 kick power rating and a 99 kick accuracy rating. The second-best rated kicker in Madden NFL 23 is Harrison Butker, with an 84 overall.

Tucker is the best kicker the NFL, and whenever he lines up for a field goal shows why. Through his 12 NFL seasons, Tucker has been selected to five Pro Bowls, been named as a First-Team AP All-Pro four times and has a 91.1% career field goal percentage.

Chiefs tie Bengals on Harrison Butker field goal at end of regulation

Harrison Butker sends the AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and Bengals to overtime

The AFC Championship Game — with a ticket to Super Bowl LVI riding on a victory — is going to overtime.

Harrison Butker kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired Sunday at Arrowhead to push the Kansas City Chiefs into a 24-24 tie with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The game-tying kick, which sent the contest to overtime, came after Patrick Mahomes took a 17-yard loss on a sack — and fumbled the ball — on the previous play.

Mahomes also was errant with the clock at the end of the first half, throwing a completed pass that saw time run out before Butker would have had a chip-shot field goal.

The game goes to overtime and the Bengals called the toss incorrectly, which means the Chiefs get the ball.

The same scenario that played out at Arrowhead a week ago against the Bills in an AFC Divisional Round game.

This was the third AFC Championship Game to go to overtime, and the second at Arrowhead.